Comment
This treaty created a European Union consisting of three pillars (the European Communities, Common Foreign and Security Policy and police and judicial cooperation in criminal matters) and introduced the concept of European citizenship, reinforced the powers of the European Parliament and launched economic and monetary union; it has since been amended several times, most recently by the Treaty of Lisbon ( IATE:2242386 ), when the pillar structure was abandoned. See also: - European Union IATE:878841 - Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union IATE:856545

Definition
Council working party established to assist Coreper and the Council in all matters pertaining to the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the Union
Reference
Council-EN, based on: Council Decision (EU) 2017/900 concerning the establishment of the ad hoc Working Party on Article 50 TEU chaired by the General Secretariat of the Council, CELEX:32017D0900/EN

Definition
European Commission representative who leads the Article 50 Task Force [ IATE:3570629 ] and is in charge of negotiations to reach an agreement on the orderly withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the EU and prepare the way for a new partnership
Reference
COM-EN, based on: - European Commission > Speech by Michel Barnier, Chief Negotiator for the Preparation and Conduct of the Negotiations with the United Kingdom, at the plenary session of the European Committee of the Regions. Brussels, 22 March 2017, http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_SPEECH-17-723_en.htm [5.7.2018] - European Commission > Departments > Service department > Article 50 Task force, https://ec.europa.eu/info/departments/taskforce-article-50-negotiations-united-kingdom_en [5.7.2018]

Definition
European Commission task force in charge of preparing and conducting the negotiations with the United Kingdom under Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union
Reference
COM-Terminology Coordination, based on: European Commission sets up Task Force led by Michel Barnier as Chief Negotiator for the Preparation and Conduct of the Negotiations with the United Kingdom. Press Release IP/16/3016, Brussels, 14 September 2016. http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-16-3016_en.htm [5.7.2018]

Comment
The Task Force will coordinate the Commission’s work on all strategic, operational, legal and financial issues related to the negotiations. Its members are listed in EU Whoiswho ( http://europa.eu/whoiswho/public/index.cfm?fuseaction=idea.hierarchy&nodeID=3611194&lang=en [5.7.2018] ). Not to be confused with: - Council Task Force on the UK [ IATE:3573511 ] - ad hoc Working Party on Article 50 TEU [ IATE:3572795 ]. See also: - Department for Exiting the European Union [ IATE:3570700 ] - Brexit [ IATE:3566351 ]